Mercedes engine customers won't receive latest spec before 2015 ends

Felipe Massa admits it is “bit frustrating” that Williams and Mercedes’ other engine customers won't have access to the German manufacturer’s latest-specification engine before the season finishes.

The Mercedes works squad introduced a new engine onto their cars at September's Italian GP with the upgrade using all of their remaining development tokens for the season.

Mercedes' three customer teams - Williams, Force India and Lotus - have continued to run the previous-spec unit with that situation to continue in Russia this weekend.

The world champions played down the performance improvement brought by the new unit when it was introduced at Monza, stressing that the token spend had been focused on 2016 development work. Indeed, Ferrari's engine update pressed into service on the same weekend appears to have had a bigger influence on the balance of power at the front - particularly in qualifying. Mercedes are thought not to yet be in a position to be able to supply their three customers with the updated engines.

Nonetheless, Williams driver Massa reckons the latest Mercedes-spec is inevitably worth some extra performance - crucial tenths of a second which Williams, and all teams, are always striving for. 

"I don't know why, but for sure it's a bit frustrating," the Brazilian told Sky Sports News HQ. "We work every day, every week in the factory to improve half a tenth, a tenth in the car so when you see that another team is using the same engine as you but maybe they have a few tenths [extra]... I don't know the difference, but if they are using it is better anyway so they have extra performance on the engine.

"We are fighting for maybe one tenth, two tenths with Ferrari - which is a team that is also fighting with them [Mercedes]. I'm not saying just for me, I'm saying everyone who is using engines from Mercedes. So it is a bit frustrating for sure, but sometimes you can't have everything you want."

Fellow customers Force India find themselves in the same situation, with Sergio Perez saying on Thursday that the latest-spec Merc unit will not be filtered down. Perez confirmed his VJM08 was being fitted with a fresh engine - his fourth and final penalty-free unit of 2015 - this weekend in Sochi, but of the previous specification.

"At the moment all that we have heard is they [Mercedes] are checking the reliability to see if it's working well and from there we will see," he said.

"We are not planning to get any of the full-spec for the rest of the year, that's what I've heard from the team. Hopefully for next year we get it."

But asked if he was disappointed to not have the chance to run Mercedes' upgraded - and theoretically more powerful - engine, Perez replied: "What we hear from Mercedes is that it's not a big step forward, so the team is not too concerned about not getting the engine."

Team-mate Nico Hulkenberg added that "I don't think it will affect us in a bad way" relative to their rivals in F1's midfield.

Unlike Perez, Hulkenberg is already on his fourth engine of the year and admits a penalty for a fifth unit isn't out of the question over the season's final five races.

"Maybe that's something we can't avoid," the German acknowledged. "I lost an engine early on in the season in Shanghai and that's something we have to look at now and how the races go.

"We'll push it as late we can to dry and avoid that penalty, but it depends how the next few races ago. But, yes, it's a threat."

The fact that Lotus also run Mercedes engines and are also set to miss out on the German manufacturer's upgrade means Force India won't be disadvantaged in their battle with the Enstone team for fifth place in the Constructors' Championship.

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Vijay Mallya's squad hold a 17-point advantage over their rivals and Hulkenberg, who finished a fine sixth last time out at Suzuka, believes they can maintain their recent consistent points-scoring form.

Asked for his expectations for the Sochi weekend, the 28-year-old replied: "To do a similar thing again - definitely the aim is to go away with more points.

"We are in a position right now that when we put it together and both cars have no issues we can both be in the points and grow our points lead over Lotus.

"That's the most important focus for us. We are round about the top 10 area - sometimes a bit more into it, sometimes a bit more out - but usually come race day our race pace is top-10 material."

Don't miss Sky Sports F1's live weekend-long coverage of the 2015 Russian Grand Prix. Our race-day show begins at 10.30am on Sunday, with lights out at 12 noon. Watch the Russian GP for £6.99 with NOW TV